Category Archives: San Francisco

Where as The Jelly Donut and Bob’s do the classics right, Dynamo Donuts one-ups the category with inventive flavors. Headed by pastry chefs that did time at Postrio, Zoe, and Foreign Cinema, the donuts here are artisanal with inventive and healthier-sounding flavors than the topping-crazed, preservative-added shops elsewhere. If the neighborhood wasn’t cool enough for you, the shop itself will impress. There’s an outside counter where you can order from and walk away. Or you can come inside and sit down next to the walls covered with donut art and children’s books about donuts. Across the counter, bakers are cracking eggs and working on the next batch of artisan tastiness.

I won’t lie, this is my 3rd time here. Their donuts are made by hand daily, with a revolving selection flavors, so I haven’t doubled up on flavors yet. They even gave me one of their Beet flavored donuts to try one time. It was probably the most interesting flavor of donut I have ever tasted. Maybe that’s how we can get kids to eat their veggies…making them into donuts!

The Spiced Chocolate is a chocolate doughnut dipped in sugar, cinnamon, chili and chipotle. The juxtaposition of the rich chocolate and the spices makes for an eye opening combination.

The Strawberry Earl Gray had a great outer crunch. It had a light strawberry flavor with bits of strawberries baked in. Highly recommend it.

The Passion Fruit Milk Chocolate was a great combo of flavors; the citrus of the passion fruit and the decadence of the milk chocolate made for a great donut.

I also tried their popular Maple Glazed Bacon Apple donut, which was everything you’d expect. The Sticky Bun was good, not the most amazing sticky I’ve had. The flavor was bold and the sticky generous. The Chocolate Rose was great, but I’d opt for the Spiced Chocolate instead. And then the best use of a donut was the egg sandwich donut. It was a bacon donut with a runny egg in the middle. I rarely see this on the menu, but if it’s ever there, you’d be stupid not to order it.

Stop #2 sent me down into the Mission, the newest up and comer on the culinary map. 24th Street should be known as Donut Street as there are two excellent options if you find yourself craving thee deep fried treats. Working from west to east, you’ll first come across The Jelly Donut, a hole-in-the-wall mom and pop shop.

I first tasted the Chocolate Iced with Coconut. The cake was soft and the icing tasted like milk chocolate. Just the right amount of coconut…not too little, not too much. The standout for me. The French Crueler and the Jelly Donut (which was glazed and filled with raspberry) were pretty classic. Simple, fresh, and not tooth-startling sweet.

In addition, these guys sell their gazed concoctions at a fraction of the price of their neighbor down the road. This place gets my stamp for “More Bang for Your Buck.”

The best part about this place is that after you place your order, the super friendly staff show you over to the counter while quickly stuffing a few donut holes in your bag before closing it tightly and slyly handing it to you. I guess they figure they’re finally making right on all those times we’ve eaten donuts and missed out on the extra bits of doughy-goodness where the hole is. And who doesn’t know that everything, even Glazed Donut Holes, tastes better when it’s free?!

3198 24th St. No website. Open 5:30am-10pm.[Photo credits: The Donut Hunter]

I’ve been to San Francisco a few times before, but I thought my recent 3-day trip would be a good time to try and find the best donut in the city. I searched around to see what people were saying about the donuts in SF and narrowed it down to 3 places: Bob’s Donut and Pastry Shop, The Jelly Donut, and Dynamo Donut. Can’t go wrong at either place…and made me a fan of SF donuts. Though, next time I get to the Bay Area, I want to head over to Oakland to try out Doughnut Dolly.

Bob’s Donut and Pastry ShopSan Francisco, CA

Stop #1 was at Bob’s Donut and Pastry Shop. This Nob Hill establishment doesn’t look pretty from across the street, but get closer and you’ll begin to smell the donut air wafting in your direction. I tried the Raised Crumb Donut first. It was amazing. Chewy, pillow-y, delicious. Then I moved onto a Glazed Old Fashioned. Strong buttermilk flavor with an outer crunch that hit the spot. Classic. The fritter was what everyone raved about, but I didn’t love it. It had a strong cinnamon taste, but the apples were few and far between. I also think I didn’t get the freshest one of the bunch. I guess the tip of the day is to get whatever is fresh at the moment….as well as the Raised Crumb Donut….that’s worth the trip alone.

Also, if you’re daring enough, they have giant glazed donuts the size of your head. These may be best shared at a birthday or an office party, but if you can finish one of these, I can guarantee a sugar high greater than when you snorted pixie stix in middle school.

1621 Polk St. No website. Open 24hrs/day.[Photo credits: The Donut Hunter]